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User blog:Brady26/Dragonfall
Mirroring the attack on Greenest that had brought them together long ago, the group must this time answer the final call. Tiamat has risen and the Heroes of Greenest are called upon to stop her, but do they have the strength to overcome the Dragon Queen? Lennithon's Return "The mask, fools! The mask is what I've come for. Give it to me, and I'll leave these crawling ants with their miserable lives. The Queen is returning! Who are you to hope to stop her? Give me the mask!" - Lennithon, the Storm's Wake Standing at the base of Xonthal's Tower, the town beyond burned as the blue dragon swooped around it, and with a sickening realisation those that were present at the raid on Greenest recognised it as the same beast that attacked that town the previous year. It appeared to not see them, the protective wards around the maze obscuring them from the dragon's sight, though they could see it clearly as well as the exit to the town beyond the edge of the maze. Steeling themselves, they charged out of the maze towards the centre of the town. A small crowd had gathered, two men trying to give directions to the concerned people. Rack rushed forth, told the people to run for the guards to ready their crossbows against the beast when it charged, and indeed the blue dragon did descend upon the square seeing Rack wearing the Blue Dragon Mask, he crashed into the church steeple and shot forth a bolt of lightning at the dragonborn, who dodged the burst but others in the crowd were not so lucky. Soon the crowd was in panic and the dragon launched itself into the air away from the swords and staves of the group, Rack fleeing into a nearby home to take shelter. The beast crashed into the home, shaking it's foundations as the heavy weight crushed the roof, it sent a bolt of its lightning striking Kadmos and Khez, knocking them down, though the Staff of Storms seemed to absorb much of the strike and was glowing and vibrating on the human warrior's grip. What followed was a game of cat and mouse, with Rack darting out to strike at the dragon with his shortbow, Darion chasing after the creature desperate to land a strike with his divine might, Lukas sending projectile after projectile at the creature, eventually wearing it down and it started to flee. As the dragon attempted to fly away, Rack sprinted out of the building he was hiding in, lunging forward and leaping off Darion's back he threw Dragon's Doom at the beast, connecting with it's heart, the blow from the ancient weapon laying the creature low as it fell from the sky and skidded into the church in its death throes. By this point, Jorgen Pawl, whose unconscious body was lashed to Darion's back was dead, Darion attempting to revive him, but the unwilling soul was not returned to the body, and his half naked corpse was abandoned. Resting in the church until dawn, the group learned that the town had put out the worst of the fires and that no other form of retribution seemed to be coming from the cult. Rack, still wearing the mask, noted that it gave him no benefit and seemed not to grant him any of the powers akin to those of the Black Dragon Mask. It was at this time that once again the draakhorn sounded, though this time everyone could hear its cry, still filling them with a sense of dread but now the sound had become all too real. Setting off for Grostere, the group left the town of Xonthal's Tower and it's namesake behind. The Last Assembly "I do so loath the dithering of the Council." - Lady Rian Nightshade At Grostere they found the Council had assembled again, when they arrived they were asked to report on what had happened at the tower, the news springing forth a debate on who should control the tower, Rian Nightshade approaching the group to make an offer: the support of the Small Ring in exchange for the Tower. After debating the merits of each faction receiving the Tower, the group decided to allow Kadmos to keep it. The council then motioned the proposed expedition to Zel'bidaal to make an alliance with the Magistrates, an issue that many took umbrage with, as few trusted the fiendish and corrupted creatures that had seized power following the War in the Silence and now direction action was favoured by many. As the representatives invited to the audience, the group was given the final say, and they elected to remain in Gorstere to prepare for the upcoming conflict. After that the council turned to the planned invasion of Vhir. The Unbidden's agents in Vhir had discovered that the cult had assembled an army of mercenaries from across the world and that now hundreds of chromatic dragons were swarming around a site where dragons came to die at the end of their lives. The cult appeared to be ready to enact their final ritual and were calling back its members to assemble for the rise of the Dragon Queen. A war council was summoned, consisting of: King Sanctus for Grostere, Lord Protector Edric Tane for Sang and the Noble States, Archmage Ba'win for Telinor, Tura Salque for the two Legion Divisions of the Quel'Doran Empire, Duke Lothin Randalhost for the Kingdom of Hoffendale, High Justice Hylef for the Order of the Justicar, Delann Winterhound and the Archdruid that Darion had encountered long ago for the Enclave, Gurdrak for the Unbidden, Protanther for the Metallic Dragons, Vigil for his own reasosn, and lastly appeared Blagothkus aboard Skyreach Castle, with him travelled the Storm Giants of Falkanah. Together this Council formulated a plan to engage the cult forces, giving the group an opportunity to strike at the heart of the cult's forces and stop them enacting their ritual. The group began to prepare for the coming battle, gathering what resources they had, using the powers of the Institute of Truth to enhance their weapons. The group also discovered that the Blue Dragon Mask was a fake, enchanted with false auras and instead serving as a conduit to bypass scrying protection and was promptly destroyed lest it be used to bring a force into Grostere itself whilst the combined forces were gone. Whether Iskander, the man that had held the mask Stocking up with what supplies they believed they needed, the group boarded Skyreach Castle and departed to meet their fate. Landing at the Well "It was mind numbing...the constant wail of that horn...the sound of screaming men as dragons torn them apart...giants hurling flaming boulders...the sky burned and we along with it." - account from a survivor of Dragonfall As Skyreach Castle floated above the Dividing Sea, the group saw the burning city of Okarthel below them, the great lighthouse that had been a beacon from all around lay in ruins, a fissure cracking the rock below it stretching far back into the horizon where they could see the faint flickering light of the erupting volcano that marked the Well of Dragons, the heart of the cult's efforts to bring forth their Queen. Below them they saw the Legions of Quel'Doran landing on the shores, behind them were the combined forces of the Noble Alliance, Enclave, Unbidden, along with Grostere's Crusaders and Faith Militant led by the newly formed Inferni. The Cloud Giant Blagothkus and the party agreed that they would attempt to land on the side of the volcano as the battle raged below them, Blagothkus granting the group a share of his power to allow them to fall slowly from the castle. As they descended, some of the swarming chromatic dragons surged towards them, some flying to the castle whilst others launched themselves at the falling five men, in response, from the misty clouds around the castle shot bolts of lighting with the serpent like Behir and their Storm Giant riders clashing with the dragons, mirroring battle below. Reaching the side of the mountain, the group relied on Khez and Lukas to lead them, the two trackers using cover to avoid any stray dragons that might have tried searching for them. Khez managed to get a count of the amount of entrances and how many guards were protecting each, though Lukas caught the trail of an umber hulk, a tunnelling creature that might have been fleeing the battle. Following the trail, Khez and Lukas found an unguarded entrance, with only a swarm of bats inhabiting the recently exposed entry way. Deciding to enter through this tunnel the group made their way into the volcano itself, following the dark and winding tunnel. Silencing the Draakhorn "It was a gift from Tiamat in the war against the giants. It was the horn of her consort, Ephelomon, used to signal to dragons to gather in one place. It was not until those final days that its true power was released. It was only in those final days that we felt the end approaching." - Calais, Institute of Truth Scholari Finding path splitting, the group followed a route that appeared to have some dim light rather than a route that had a breeze flowing down it. They found themselves in Rath Modar's Quarters, searching his room they found a teleportation circle around his bed, along with a trapped box that Rack managed to open without any injury to himself, discovering papers relating to the ritual to summon the god Tiamat into the world by blending this world with that of the Eyrie to allow her to pass through seamlessly and not through the Silver Veil, the blood of the dead god that surrounds Tolas, along with that were scrolls of various arcane spells that Kadmos tucked away. They found the room belonging to the Zelfolk exiles, searching the room uncovered letters belonging to Azbara Jos, perhaps a confession or some other penance, but he wrote of how he had his doubts that the Mask was wholly key to the ritual as Rath Modar believed and that another darker component was needed. Following the tunnel, the found themselves at a crossroads where the sound of the draakhorn was getting even louder, following the sound they found it being suspended by chains and held by a great earth elemental that was pointing it out of a gap in the mountain side that overlooked the battle, and blowing into it was an air elemental that allowed the sound to be cast out endlessly over the chaos below. Bursting into the room, the group found themselves deafened for a moment as they fought with the elemental servants of the cult, Lukas cutting down the air elemental with his whirling greatsword. When they struck the horn it seemed impervious to their blows, deciding to instead roll it out the gap in the wall and let the fall destroy it, they pushed the great horn to the wall and let it crash below them finally silenced. As they looked out over the battlefield, they spotted a white dragon they had encountered before, Arveiaturace, and on her back was not the skeleton of her former master but the half-elf Talis the White who know commanded the creature. Heading back into the volcano the group found a room with the corpses of prisoners left behind, realising that the cult bust be using the prisoners for some aspect of the ritual. Leaving the foul smelling room the group travelled deeper into the complex network of tubes, finding their way into the main treasure room. A cathedral sized chamber filled with artefacts, jewels, armour, crowns, and mountains upon mountains of gold. Entering the chamber, Darion heard Talis' voice echo from the frozen sending stone he carried; "He will be my Vengeance." Soon after the group saw two hulking figures shambling between the mounds of gold, with them was a black dragonsoul directing the foul monstrosities comprised of the bodies of many people. Rushing to meet the foes, Darion was left behind as the others rushed forward, spying a figure on the other side of the gold, Wessic, or Vengeance as he had called himself in their last encounter beckoned him forward, the old man now an undead creature driven solely by his desire for revenge. Fighting with the emerging dragonsouls, Darion managed to resist the undead creature's attempts to steal a fragment of his soul as the two fought, each driven by devotion to a greater cause, it was Darion who was victorious channelling the fury of his gods into a bight blow that destroyed Wessic's frozen heart, and with the others soon arriving to aid him the remaining defenders of this treasure room were defeated. Even as the world was crashing down around them, the group still took some time to glance over the piles of gold, seeing a few magical items and wonders beyond imaging waiting to be claimed by the Dragon Queen. With Lukas and Khez leading the way the group avoided being ambushed by drakes, keeping an ear out for other cultists, though either none were around or none dared to attack them following the defeat of the others at the entrance. They reached the end of the chamber, a great archway that lead to a bridge stretching out across the lava of the volcano. Around them the war raged, they saw the giants riding bolts of lightning, an armour clade Gurdrak hurling his lesser kin into the lava below, the great form of Elia the silver dragon pursuing Talis atop her white dragon mount, figures floating in the sky hurling arcane bolts at the battle below or at winged beasts above, and in the battle they saw a beacon of light flaring out from the form of King Sanctus II. Around the caldera they saw island of rock where prisoners huddled, terrified of the conflict around them. Together, they moved across the great bridge towards the Temple of Tiamat, and the doom that awaited them. Apotheosis ''"It was stunning chaos, five chapels, each devoted to one of the five colours, made of bones, ash, and twisted magicks that dragged parts of Tiamat's twisted realm into this plane. A maelstrom in its centre, all channelled through one man, Severin...I suppose he got his reward in the end..." ''- Barion Relthorne, Warmage of Telinor And so the five men entered the Temple of Tiamat, for all the powers that were being brought bear upon the world, five mortal men went forth to meet their fate. Darion Relthorne, Lord Commander of the Hallowed Assault, Champion of Greenest, abomination, brother, and widower. Rack, of House Rack, of Okarthel, Drunken Master, street urchin, orphan, and friend. Kadmos, the Wanderer, of Vigil, of the Empire, pact-keeper, the Angel's Charge, Unbidden Agent, and lost child. Lukas Temper, the master swordsman, bearer of the Black Blade, craftsman, and blacksmith's son. Khez, Last of Racbar, Herald of the Storm, the Rage of the Lost, Hand of the Enclave, wild-man, and alone. The five men entered the hellish scene that met them as they entered the temple, they saw the zelfolk wizards channelling elemental energies into the central chamber, Severin acting as a conduit to the dark powers manifesting. The group set to work slaying the mages, hoping to stop the ritual before it could finish. Trying to stop them were Galvan, the Blue Wyrmspeaker, Nerovain the Green, and the real Rath Modar, each of whom hurled their elemental powers at the group who charged forth, heedless of the danger. Slaying a number of the mages, the group became overwhelmed by the sheer size of the temple, unable to effectively slay each of the mages in the temple's five wings as Severin, wearing a mask comprised of all five dragon masks slowly descended to lend his aid to the cult leaders. The leader of the cult focused on the channelling, he cast forth chains of burning iron that shackled Darion in place, and hurled bolts of fire at the others. After a minute of channelling, the magical maelstrom reached a crescendo as a tear in reality took hold. The group watched on in horror as five gargantuan heads began to rip and shred the barrier between the mortal plane and her own. But rather than thanking her dutiful servant, the central red head of Tiamat, the Scaled Tyrant, Queen of Dragons and Bringer of Dragonfall, snapped the floating form of Severin in her great jaws. With a laugh that shook the temple built by her loyal followers, Tiamat turned her attention towards the five intruders that dared to stand against her. The group employed many of the tactics they had used against dragons in the past, relying on their speed, endurance, and ranged weapons before lunging in with their enchanted weapons to deliver maximum damage. The Queen of Dragons however, was another calibre of entity entirely, though weakened through their disruption of the ritual, both in the Temple, and outside it, as well as the previous year in stopping the Black Wyrmspeaker from delivering her part of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, still she seemed impervious to all but their mightiest strikes. As Tiamat clawed her way out of the pit, she reached out to Darion, recognising the symbols of her enemy, the Platinum Dragon, the god struck mighty blows against the half-ogre paladin, her barbed tail lashing out against the others as her many heads unleashed elemental energies strong enough to end kingdoms at them. As their weapons struck, instead of blood, maggots spilled out of the Dragon Queen, and down her gullet they saw a writhing pit of the creatures devouring the souls of all she consumed. As they surrounded her, Tiamat attempted to fly upward to avoid the enchanted weapons around her, levelling a tremendous blow at the Dragon Queen that caused a creature that should not feel pain to thrash in agony as the others tried their best to take advantage of the moment, but as she screamed the world fell silent. In the aftermath of the Rise of Tiamat, one thing was known for sure about what happened during the birth of this god into the Mortal Plane, and that was that she spoke a divine word. A word in the language of the creation of the very fabric of reality, a single word uttered by each head of the Dragon Queen forever marked the world, leaving a stain upon it as it was made manifest into a plane not ready for its power. Rack, who heard the word but managed to hold himself together watched as the souls of his still standing companions were torn and wretched apart before him. Khez covered his ears at the sound, silently screaming in rage. Darion stood stunned, his eyes glazing over as his soul was shaken to its core at the sound. Kadmos lay unconscious, unable to hear or even attempt to comprehend the sound as his soul teetered on the edge of death already. But it was Lukas who experience the worst fate, his soul was torn from his body and dragged down into the maelstrom below, his lifeless body left limp by the thrashing of the Dragon Queen. From then on, hope faded. Khez and Rack tried to fight on, the Dragon Queen's body now bleeding maggots as well as elemental energy from her scaled hide. But even with her wounds and injuries, Tiamat overwhelmed the barbarian, leaving him broken in her wake as she pursued the fleeing Rack, his speed once unmatched was not enough to escape Tiamat's clutches. With one final strike, Rack was devoured by the Dragon Queen. The world was dark for those that remained alive; Darion was kept alive thanks to his divine wards but was left blinded, deaf and stunned at what he had heard, whilst Kadmos who had fallen early in the fight had stabilised but had not awoken, and Khez too had stopped bleeding out as Rack had fallen. What became of them and those that battled outside the Well of Dragons as the Queen of Dragons ascended into the sky, their fate is still unknown... Category:Blog posts